How to Choose a WordPress Hosting Company in South Africa

If you’re looking into setting up a personal blog or a small business website in South Africa, then you’re on the right track. Blogging is a great way to build your audience and connect with your readers. However, doing so on your own may be difficult. That’s why you need to consider using a CMS, or Content Management System, to make the process easier. A CMS allows you to quickly and easily build your blog without having to be an expert in HTML, CSS, or other web design software.

The Most Popular CMS

There are a number of CMSs available, and if you search online, you can easily find a comparison review of the top five CMSs, along with any discounts that may be available. Some of the most popular and highly recommended CMSs are WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, and Magento. Let’s examine each one in detail.

WordPress

WordPress is the world’s #1 CMS and has been around for more than a decade. It was initially set up as a blogging platform, but it’s far more than that. In fact, it’s a full-fledged content management system that allows you to create and manage an unlimited number of pages, posts, and portfolios. This makes it super easy to use, even for beginners, and it has over 125 million active users as of November 2017.

What’s more is that WordPress is completely free, which means you can install it on your own server or use a free hosting provider (usually these are the same thing). You can’t say the same thing about the other CMSs we discussed, which makes WordPress the clear choice for anyone looking to set up a blog or small business website.

Drupal

Drupal is another incredibly popular CMS with many different licenses available. This content management system is mostly known for its robust security and the ability to quickly and easily set up a professional-looking website.

What makes Drupal different from the rest is that it was initially designed to be a community-based platform. This is done through its use of the popular CCK, or Content Classification Kit. This is a tool that provides users with the ability to categorize and label content, such as posts and images, which allows for a more flexible and user-friendly design.

Drupal also offers a visual editor for content creators who want to build complex websites without needing to know advanced HTML code. This editor is similar to WordPress’ own visual editor, which is also very easy to learn.

Magento

Still don’t believe that WordPress is the best choice for your blog? Then try out Magento, the ‘Bazaar-based’ eCommerce platform from the makers of WordPress itself. This popular content management system offers a completely free basic plan that lets you sell just about anything online, including products such as clothing, furniture, and accessories. And for customers looking for an even easier experience, you can also integrate with various third-party payment providers (such as Paypal and Stripe) to add a cash-on-delivery option to your online store.

If you sell your own products, being able to set up an online store that accepts credit cards is also a massive convenience for consumers. Magento also provides you with a robust analytics package that can track your website’s performance and drive ​improvement​.

Joomla!

Joomla! is a free, open-source CMS that was created to be simple to use. This content management system was designed with user convenience in mind, and it succeeds in delivering on that promise. This system is mostly used for creating websites for small businesses and bloggers, but it can also be used to create more sophisticated websites for corporate use.

What makes Joomla unique is that it was initially designed to work with popular content management systems, such as WordPress, and it offers an unlimited number of web extensions and templates that you can download and install on your own website. This is very useful for consumers who want to find a balance between functionality and design, as well as for people who want to build a complex, yet functional, website quickly.

CMS Checklist

Before you make a decision, it might be a good idea to take a look at the checklist below, which ensures you won’t make any critical mistakes when choosing a CMS:

• Security – Check that the provider you are thinking of using is up to date with the latest security protocols and standards.
• Features – Are there any features that you need, or do you plan on using all the default features?
• Ease of Use – Is the CMS user-friendly, or will you need training to figure out how to use it?
• Cost
• Support
• Updates
• Additional Plans
• License
• Agency Use
• Mobile Friendly
• Performance

Choosing the right CMS for your blog or online store can be difficult. It’s not like there’s one best fit for everyone, but with the right combination of features, performance, support, cost, and user-friendliness, you’ll be able to find a solution that works great for you.